Musical instrument.



"0. 629357. Patnted m I8, I899.

A. c. JACCARD.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

(Application filed. Mar. 217, 1899.)

{No Model.)

AMI CONSTHNT J'HCCHRD h L M HlSATTORNEYS.

"m: NORRIS FE'FERS 00., PNOTQUYHO" w-smwcrou. o. c,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

AMI CONSTANT JACOARD, OF IIOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

'MUSICAL INSTRUM ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,257, dated July 18, 1899. Application filed March 27,1899. Serial No. 710,659. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LAMI OoNsrANT JACCARD, a resident of Hoboken, in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented Im-' provements in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of musical instruments in which a traveling tuneplate is caused to operate the teeth of a reed or comb; and the main object of my invention is to simplify the construction of such instruments.

One of the principal features of my invention is the provision of a construction and combination of parts whereby the comm onlyused star-wheels are dispensed with.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section, drawn to an enlarged scale, through the reed, tune-plate, guide-ba r, and damping devices. Fig. 2 is a similar View, but showing the tune-plate fartheradvaneed. Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the plate still farther advanced. Fig. dis a plan View of part of the reed and showing one damping device. Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the damping device; and Fig. (3 is a transverse section on the line (3 0, Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A is the base-plate, carrying the support B for the reedO, over which travels the tune-plate D. The part of the latter passing over the reed is held in a fixed relation thereto by a guiding means, such as a bar E. The part of the bar E which bears on the tune-plate D is a narrow bar e, which is wedged into an inverted-trough-shaped bar (2 by a filling c of felt or other suitable material, which will deaden the sound and prevent metallic rattle interfering with the musical notes. Each tongue of the reed has upon its'outer end an upward projection 25, and the tune-plate has openings d punched out of it for the notes; The bar E holds the tune-plate down over each tooth of the comb, bending the tooth, as shown in Fig.1, until the opening d reaches the projection 25, when the tongue will be released and at once spring up, as shown in Fig. 2, giving a muscial note, until the damper acts to stop the vibration of the reed-tongue again. The damper consists of a spring-blade F to bear against the edge of the corresponding tongue of the reed. The blades F are carried by a bar G on the baseplate, and each can be sprung laterallyaway from its reed-tongue by the depression of an adjacent spring-tongue F, also carried by the bar Gr, Fig. 5. Each tongue F has an upward projection f, on which the traveling tuneplate can bear under the action of the bar E, and on each damper-blade F is an incline or cam f, such that when the tongue F is depressed, Fig. 6, by an unperforated part of the tune-plate the blade F will be pushed laterally, Fig. 6, away from the reed-tongue, while the latter is first vibrating, but immediately afterward the projection f of the tongue F can rise into the same perforation as the end of the reed-tongue, Fig. 3, wl1ereupon the damper-blade will at once come into action against the side of the reed-tongue.

I claim as my invention 1. A musical instrument having reedtongues with a tune-sheet adapted to act on and depress the reed-tongues and having apertures into which theends of the said tongues can spring, in combination with a guiding means to maintain the passing part of the tune-sheet in relation to the reed, substantially as described.

2. A musical instrument having reedtongues with a tune-sheet adapted to act directly-on the reed-tongues, and having apertures into which the ends of said tongues can spring, in combination with damping devices, substantially as described.

3. A musical instrument having reedtongues,dampingblades therefor and tongues to act upon the damping-blades, in combination with a traveling tune-sheet and means to cause the latter to depress the reed-tongues and damper-tongues and then release them in succession, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AIWII CONSTANT JAOOARD. IVitnesses: GEO. E. MINER,

IIUBERT lIowsoN. 

